Last Minute Summer Camp Options For Parents Who Don't Like To Plan

A good selection of New York City summer camps are happy to bend over backwards for last minute registrations. Many camps take kids on a week-by-week basis or have no registration deadline at all, giving parents flexibility.

"We have options to expand the space that we have to accommodate more kids," said Christine Kovich, the co-founder of Harlem Biospace and HYPOTHEkids, a successful after-school program that is offering a summer camp for the first time this year.

Kovich said the camp, which enlists scientists and engineers from Columbia University to show kids how fun science can be, could grow from 54 placements to 72 each week if the demand is there.

At NYC is My Backyard, founder and teacher Betsy Chairman uses her professional network of teachers to enlist reinforcement if a last minute rush increases registrations on a particular week.

"We have about two-thirds enrollment of people signing up between February and April," she said. "The rest of enrollment takes place when parents start to panic."

Chairman added that parents can band together with three or more registrations so she can bring another teacher on board. The ratio of teachers to students is five to one, she said.

Sci-Tech Kids
Location: multiple locationsContact: 212-804-7055Ages: 4 to 12 years oldWeeks: June 9 through August 8Days and Hours: Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.Pricing: $725 per week with lunch and snacks included Monday to Thursday. For Friday field trips kids bring their own lunch.Activities: explore insects and plants in Central Park, learn about recycling, energy, gravity and physics from engineers and scientists.Registration details: There is no deadline and kids can go for a minimum of one week

Kyle Smith's Basketball Camp at Columbia — Big Blue Day CampVenue:Dodge Fitness Center on Columbia University's main campus at 116th and BroadwayContact: 212-854-3747 or kah2193@columbia.eduAges: Second grade through 12th gradeWeeks: June 23 to August 8Days and Hours: Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Kids can be dropped off from 8:15 a.m. Aftercare is also available for an additional fee. On Fourth of July week camp only runs Monday to Thursday.Pricing: $475 per five-day weekActivities: Columbia University's players and coaches for the Lions basketball team are the camp counselors. Kids learn two new skills each day, hear from guest speakers and get a free t-shirt.Transportation: Parents drop off. Registration Details: There is no deadline for registration and kids can go for a minimum of one week.

92 Y Camp Yomi and Camp Yomi SeniorsVenue: Rockland CountyContact: 212-415-5573Ages: Kindergarten through Ninth grade Weeks: June 30 to August 19Days and Hours: Monday to Friday from 8 to 5:45Pricing: $4,600 for four weeks and $5,700 for six weeks. This includes snacks, a t-shirt and towel service.Transportation: Air-conditioned buses pick up from multiple Manhattan locations.Activities: Kids are taken daily to the camp location in Rockland County and activities include chess, cooking, basketball and archery.Registration Details: There is no deadline for registration. Kids must register for a minimum of four weeks, but can pick and choose those weeks.

Downtown Day Camps
Venue: P.S. 89 at 201 Warren St in TriBeCaContact: 212-766-1104Ages: 4 - 13 years oldWeeks: June 30 to August 15Days and Hours: Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with before and after care for an additional fee.Pricing: $2,095 for three weeks or $3,795 for six weeks. Kids bring their own lunch.Activities: Swimming, field sports, karate, arts and crafts, dance, drumming, field trips.Transportation: bus services for an additional feeRegistration details: Kids register for three weeks at a time. Downtown Day Camps also offers sleep-away camps in August.

Fieldston Outdoors Summer CampVenue: 3901 Fieldston Road in the BronxContact: 718-329-7352 or fieldstonOutdoors@ecfs.orgAges: Pre-K through to sixth gradeWeeks: June 30 to August 8Days and Hours: Monday to Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. On Fridays, camp finishes at 2:45 p.m. After care is available for an additional fee.Price: Three weeks cost $2,350 and the full six-week session is $4,400. Snacks are included but kids bring their own lunch. Financial aid is available for qualifying families.Transportation: Bus service is available for an additional chargeActivities: Art, swimming, drama, yoga, nature study, music, orienteering, cooking, sailing and hiking along the Hudson River. Campers in second grade or higher take overnight camping trips.Registration: The deadline for registration is the end of May. Campers must be registered for a minimum of three weeks.

NYC is My BackyardVenue: American Museum of Natural History, West 81st Street and Central Park WestContact: Through the NYC is My Backyard website.Ages: Kindergarten through eighth grade.Weeks: July 7 through August 14Days and Hours: Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 pm. After care is offered for an additional fee.Pricing: $790 per week and kids bring their own lunch.Transportation: Parents drop off campers.Activities: Campers improve their writing skills while documenting their adventures around the city, which include visits to numerous neighborhoods and parks. One day each week, kids take park in a community service project such as park beautification.Registration: There is no deadline and kids sign up for a one week minimum.

HYPOTHEkidsVenue:Harlem Biospace at 423 W. 127th St.Contact: director@hypothekids.orgAges: 4 to 11 years oldWeeks: July 7 to August 29Days and Hours: Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 pm. Pickup is any time after 4 p.m.Pricing: $695 per week. Kids bring their own lunch. Partial scholarships are available for qualifying kids in the Community Board 9 area.Transportation: Parents to drop off campers.Activities: Kids develop an understanding of the scientific method and the process of design from engineers and scientists. Each week of camp explores a different topic.Registration: There is no deadline and kids sign up for a one-week minimum.

DNAinfo is New York's leading neighborhood news source. We deliver up-to-the-minute reports on entertainment, education, politics, crime, sports, and dining. Our award-winning journalists find the stories - big or small - that matter most to New Yorkers.